Tasty Side to Life Tours Website

Friday, April 28, 2017

A food and lifestyle blogger Tara came out on a private champagne tour with us this Spring and blogged about her lunch at the fabulous Michelin star Le Foch!

Her day with us at Tasty Side To Life Tours included a pickup at Le Foch, an afternoon tour from 1:30pm- 6:30pm with a visit to the UNESCO caves of Champagne Pommery with a tasting of 3 cuvees (where we taught Tara how to smell, compare bubbles size and complexity, look at color, remark on tasting notes and mouth finish) as well as a drive through the gorgeous countryside to do a tasting and tour with rare grower Champagne Bernard Pertois in the famous Grand Cru village of Mesnil sur Oger- where Krug is located.

Fine Dining at Le Foch in Reims, France

Friday, April 14, 2017

The journey continues on our Day tour with Tasty Side to Life Tours. Next it was time for some fine dining at Le Foch in Reims France. We had worked up quit an appetite exploring the town and visiting the Reims Cathedral (recap here) and were ready for some delicious and innovative grub!

Le Foch is known for its delicious French cuisine and even has an 1 Michelin Star rating! it is centrally located in Reims, not far from the train station and has beautiful modern decor.

We went with the pre-fix 3 course lunch of:

First Course:

Brandade with Curry, Beets and Fresh Herbs. I loved this dish. The curry paired perfectly with the fish and the beets were a nice alternative to a traditional ‘bread’ sandwich.

Second Course:

Rabbit in Cream Curcima Sauce (Mom ordered a vinaigrette salad with stripe fish and capers). I have had rabbit probably only a few other times in life and I was a bit weary to try it again. (because you know.. bunnies are cute) The sauce was delectable.

Third Course:

Creme a l’arabica, sorbet , cacao. This was a chocolate like creme sorbet. All I can say is wow. So so good!

To our surprise, after each course, we were brought an additional small dish as a transition from one dish to another. My favorite had to be the amazing ‘chocolate milkshake’ served with a small almond pound cake. It was absolutely amazing. Another favorite small bite was the Tuna Tartar.

The service was unsurpassed by any other establishment I have ever been to. The waiter was very helpful in explaining each dish on the menu (which was all in French of course) and brought each dish not too quickly (I hate that) or too late and re-set the place settings each time.

This is definitely a fine dining establishment and so worth the visit when in Reims and on the Tour of Champagne with Tasty Side to Life Tours!

After our meal was complete, our driver, Pascal, was waiting for us to start our Champagne Tour!

Check out some photos of our delicious meal below! Make sure you come back soon to see all about our 1st Champagne stop at Pommery!

Looking for more on our trip to France? Check out our hotel here, our tour of the Louvre with Walks of France – here, some Post Cards from Paris- here and the beautiful Cathedral in Reims- here.

Friday, March 24, 2017

One of our favorite past clients, Sherrelle Kirkland-Andrews planned a girls trip from the USA and brought such a great groups friends to champagne! She proceeded to post one of the best articles that we just had to re-post here. Sherrelle on her blog http://iamsherrelle.com/ wrote the "7 tips to know before you to go on a private trip to champagne." Take a look below! xo

A PRIVATE CHAMPAGNE TOUR IN FRANCE: 7 TIPS TO KNOW BEFORE YOU GO

My vacation in Paris was filled with many wonderful days, but the day that we spent on a private champagne tour in Reims, France will always be one of my favorite memories. That day was the absolute pinnacle of fabulousness!

We started our day on the TGV to Reims. Thankfully our 1st class car was nearly empty because as usual, we talked non-stop all the way there. Sydney, our driver and tour guide, met us at the train station with croissants (yum!). She drove us through the lovely town of Reims to our first stop, Reims Cathedral. Even bigger than Notre Dame, Reims Cathedral was breathtaking. It was the site of 25 coronations of the kings of France and is on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

A short walk down the block from Reims Cathedral was our next stop, La Petite Friande chocolate atelier. Although the shop is filled with many wonderful treats, we were there to sample the bouchons, little chocolate corks filled with champagne. Sydney unwrapped a chocolate and demonstrated how we were to pop the entire bouchon in our mouth at once for the ultimate experience.

Wow! It was an explosion of champagne – intense and flavorful, like slamming back a shot! That was the most delicious chocolate experience that I had ever had! We bought bouchons for family and friends back home and piled back in the car to begin our tour of champagne houses. Through rolling hills and quaint towns Sydney drove to our first champagne house, Pehu Simonet. Proprietor David Pehu met us in his office, ready to educate us about his champagne and offer us several tastings.

I wish that I could tell you all that David shared with us, and the commentary that Sydney provided about David’s small champagne house versus the big champagne houses, but we tasted 4 bottles of champagne, so understand when I say that I don’t quite remember the details of what David said. By the second glass we were all more than a little tipsy and I seriously wondered if we were going to make it through the rest of the day standing upright – this was just our first stop! I asked David to ease up on my champagne because I figured at least one of us had to be sober enough to get us back to Paris. Sydney assured me that after a long lunch we would be fine. Since she did these tours all the time and has surely seen people far worse off than us, I trusted her and continued to taste (albeit half-full glasses; I am a light-weight).

Let me pause here to say that I rarely drink alcohol, but if I do, I prefer it to be champagne, Veuve Clicquot if possible. All my friends adore champagne. But I tell you, if you think you have tasted good champagne, you have not until you have tasted champagne like we did, straight from the producer. We were completely and utterly blown away by the smell and taste of this small producer champagne. Each bottle tasted better than the last and we had a hard time deciding which bottle to buy (and that had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that we were drunk by the time we left).

But Sydney was right. A 20 minute drive and a two hour, 5 course lunch at Le Grand Cerf sobered us up and by the time we got back on the road, we were ready to drink some more. The entire meal was delicious – bread, soup, seafood ravioli, fish, dessert and cheese plate. From Le Grand Cerf we drove to the champagne house of Le Gallais, which is set on the most beautiful property. That is Madame Clicquot’s chateau, Boursault Castle, right there on the property. Gorgeous! Hervé Le Gallais welcomed us to his house and made us feel right at home. He explained the champagne process from grape to bottle and stole our hearts with his charm, enthusiasm and warmth.

And then a special treat! Hervé led us into his caves to taste a special reserve, vintage champagne. I can’t even describe how amazing that experience was for us, really there are no words. We would have stayed with Hervé all day if we could have; we loved him.

Back in car once more, we drove to the town of Épernany and down Avenue de Champagne, which features the leading champagne manufactures like Moët et Chardon and Perrier Jouet. We stopped at Champagne de Castellane for a tour. Champagne de Castellane is one of the oldest families in France and a large producer of champagne. This tour was different than the tours of the small producers; an official tour guide gave us a historical background of the champagne house before leading us past the vats and through the caves. She explained the entire champagne process along the way and we ended the tour with a glass of champagne.

If you ever visit France and love champagne, then a trip to Reims is absolutely necessary. It was the highlight of our vacation. I can’t wait to share my champagne with my husband; I think that we will open a bottle this Christmas season. I know that with one sip I will be instantly transported back to France and that wonderful day I spent in Reims.

7 Tips To Know Before You Go:

We arranged our private champagne tour with Sydney Krueger of Tasty Side To Life Tours. I highly recommend using Sydney’s services. Before the trip she answered all of our questions and put together a touring day according to our wants. She was professional, but personable and her knowledge of the region and champagne history was impressive. We immensely enjoyed our day with Sydney.

It was much colder in Reims than in Paris; dress for warmth. We did not and we were cold.

Take the TGV to Reims. After our botched train ride to Versailles, we were nervous about taking the train to Reims, but the Gare de l’Est train station was easy to navigate. Seamless, picturesque and a quick 45 minutes, the TGV ride was lovely.

Buy your TGV train ticket at one of the SNCF boutique agencies a few days before your trip. There are many boutiques in Paris; we went to one right next to Jardin du Luxembourg on bd Saint-Michel. You can buy tickets online, but that requires reading the schedule in French. And while you can obviously buy train tickets at the train station, we didn’t want to risk sold out seats. At the SNCF boutique the agent spoke English (and was patient with my broken French) and answered all of our questions. She even told us how to stamp our tickets at the yellow machines before boarding the train. Pay a few dollars more for the 1st class tickets; we practically had the car to ourselves.

Bring cash (euros) to buy champagne. While the larger houses will accept credit cards, the smaller houses may not.

Expect to buy champagne. You will want to bring some home, so leave room in your luggage (per TSA rules, you won’t be able to carry it on the plane). If you remember to pack bubble wrap, you are exceptional. If not, you can roll your champagne bottles in your clothes. That’s what we did and all of the bottles made it home intact. Champagne bottles are very heavy so your luggage will weigh considerably more on the flight home; plan accordingly. I always pack an extra bag to accommodate my vacation souvenirs.

If possible, tour the small producers over the big producers. While the tour of the big producer was educational and nice to see, our experience was richer and more personable with the small producers. I’m glad that Sydney suggested that we see Le Gallais instead of another big producer because it was the highlight of our day.

Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Happy Day of LOVE! How about 3 Valentine's today instead of 1? Tell your partner it's going to be OK, were just talking about BUBBLES. Or, more specifically gorgeous, amazing grower fizz Champagnes that is. Our top 3 picks for Valentine's Day are below and a link to have them at home here and here. Our Motto today via one of our favorite interior designers This La Holiday is-Love is more than just a day, it doesn't just sit there like a stone, it has to be made, like bread, remade all the time, made new :) xo

Champagne Lelarge Pugeot Rose de Saignée $55

An amazing 100% organic and biodynamic producer which we love! 100% Pinot Noir, this Rosé is a blend of 90% of white wine and 10% of red wine. A blend from 3 vineyards: Les Maupas, Les Clos and Les Champs Chevaliers. This has refined texture and fruity notes of cherry, strawberry and toasted brioche. Aging: Aged for three years. Alcohol 12.4%, acidity total 4.3g, S02 total 34mg, Dosage 7g/l

Champagne Assailly Rose $50

A new producer for us! In Grand Cru village of Avize or Cote de Blanc this producer operates in some of the best terroir in all of champagne! This Rose is 87% Chardonnay and 13% Pinot Noir. Aromatic nose of red fruit. On the palate red fruit again with some hints of citrus. Style: rich and complex. Dosage: 4 gram/liter Brut

If you want to order any of these gorgeous bottles minimum quantity is 6 bottles of a mixed case and shipping is free. Arrival in 5-7 days. Click on this link to see catalog and fill out this sheet to buy. Email: tastysidetolifetours@gmail.com to place an order or call + 1 510 590 0943. If you ever make it to champagne do think of Tasty Side To Life Tours (us) to chauffeur you around on a wine tour in champagne.

So, I wrote this 5 years ago on a balmy summer morning in Paris and it somehow poof disappeared from the blog so I decided to resurrect it and repost b/c well, it's a keeper!!

Summer in Paris is all about forever sunlight to 10/11pm, huge open air markets w/ fruit filled to the top and spilling off vendors carts and new inspiration from seasonal fruits and veggies. This was a test brunch from back in my days of wanting to open a supper club at my Paris flat which sadly never actually came to fruition. My dream was to play black and white french old school movies, serve rare small producer champagne and cook a 4 course brunch or dinner for friends of friends in a relaxed super club type of environment. This was a nice brunch "test" menu during a Parisian lazy Sunday among 11 friends.

Brunch didn't start til 2 to 3pm and lasted so looooooong, per the usual Parisian tradition amongst my friends, that as we were finishing up cleaning we were actually able to see the Parisian sunset. I'm not even sure you can call something that ends that late brunch :) Regardless, it's truly the best hr in Paris when at about 9pm everything turns pink. It's incredible really.

About Me

Sydney a SF born ex-pat currently living in France for the past 4 yrs and this is my creative pallet; scrumptious tid bits of food + culture to inspire a splendid + well-lived little life, I help people go on private Champagne producer trips enabling you to meet sm. producers, skip the large corp tours, visit local farms + hang with the locals! Email: tastysidetolifetours@gmail.com